Ice Cream Makes You Feel Better
by Yami and Ryoko
Summary: Ino is determined to raise Shikamaru's spirits after the death of Asuma. She challenges him to a chess game. She'll leave him alone if he wins, but if she wins he'll have to go have ice cream with her. ShikamaruXIno


**Ice-cream Makes you Feel Better**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

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Shikamaru stared up at the night sky. He laid on his back with his arms folded behind his head for support. Sparkling jewels winked at him from the endless dark blue tar. He watched the smoke from his cigarette float up to the sky. It became a trail that winded and spiraled and wiggled as it rose in altitude. It seemed to try hard to touch those stars. As if it could snatch one away to spin and circle in its ring of smog. But of course that was hopeless. Even though from his view it appeared that the smoke ensnarled some of the stars, it was still hundreds of thousands of miles away from reaching them. The smoke would dissolve long before its goal was accomplished.

He heard the wood creak under him. It sounded off over and over, getting louder in volume each time. Someone was approaching him. He didn't bother to see who it was. If the person had any matters to discuss with him, he or she could open his or her mouth and speak. If the person didn't need him, then he or she could be on his or her merry way. He was hoping for the later. He didn't want to deal with anyone right at the moment. But of course whoever it was _had_ to speak to him. How troublesome…

A figure loomed over him, blocking his view of the sky. It began coughing as its nose sniffed in the fumes of the tobacco ridden smoke. It tried to blow it away by waving its hand quickly over and over in a rhythmical motion.

He knew very well who it was. He needn't bother acknowledging her or apologizing for the smoke. She would speak anyway. That woman always had _something_ to say. It was what she was there for obviously. And if she had no propose, he had no time to waste with her.

His eyes ran up her legs and torso and finally to her face. Her normally purple clothes were painted a dark blue from the night dim light and her usual milky white skin had a tint of a light shade of cerulean to it. Her creamy blonde hair, now appearing a dull gold, fell off her right shoulder and dangled down at him. She leaned over him. Her left hand covered her mouth and nose so as to not inhale the toxic. Her eyes were looking directly into his, penetrating him, as if trying to read his mind. Those eyes; those crystal blue eyes that rivaled the colors of the ocean and afternoon sky. They sparkled in the dull light of the moon, which was a backdrop against her. It shined its little light down on her, bringing out her features and defining her curves. It made her seem enchanting.

"What are you up to?" she asked. Her voice was muffled by her hand. She squinted through the smoke and she coughed soon after speaking.

"Go away, Ino," he replied vaguely. He turned his eyes so they no longer looked at her, but instead at the sky which was his original focus. He deliberately exhaled and a puff of smoke existed his mouth and floated up to her. It collided with her face and she wheezed slightly before coughing harder.

"I really wish you wouldn't smoke," she stated in between coughs. She glared down at him with hard eyes. Her tone showed more of a threat than a simple desire. She desperately tried to blow it away with her hand.

"You should try it. I heard it makes you lose weight." His voice was flat despite the rude comment.

Her glare became more intense. She put her hands on her hips. " I lose weight the _right _way." There was a considerable amount of stress on the word "right."

"Yeah, you know, starving yourself isn't really the 'right' way." His voice was tense and irritated. Usually he never spoke to anyone it that tone. He was always so much more laid back than that; he was so much more calm than that.

Her eyes were becoming icy. They showed her building anger. Her eyebrows were bent downward, furrowing her brow and her lips were pulled back in a frown that revealed her bottom row of teeth. It was a threatening and scary face.

Her expression quickly changed and she hung her nose high and turned her eyes away from him. She let out a loud, "Hmph!" She then bent down to his level and in a quick motion pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and rose back to her feet. She held it high in the air away from his grasp and away from her own body. The trail of smoke from it continued to rise in the air. One hand remained on her hip and she didn't say anything. She was waiting for his reaction.

She must have expected a better reaction, but he didn't give it to her. He didn't even try to retrieve it and he wasn't going to. Wrestling with her was far too much to be bothered with. He had a whole pack. He could light another any time he wanted.

Upon seeing his unconcerned expression she instantly became enraged. She dropped the item she held in her hand onto the ground and stomped on it violently with the heel of her sandal until all signs of a flare died away. She glared at him again, but he made no motion or complaint. She appeared unsatisfied. It was hopeless. It was, of course, "too troublesome" for him to get mad over her actions.

Then her expression changed again. She seemed saddened and she refused to look at him. Her eyes drooped into concern and her mouth was low in a sorrowful frown. She seemed hesitant. When she spoke her words were shaky. It was as if she wasn't sure of what to say or if she should in fact say them. "Chouji and I really don't like seeing you like this. We're worried about you."

Ah, finally it came: her reason for being here.

"Nothing's wrong with me," he sighed. He didn't want to get into this. He knew what she was getting to and he did not want to hear it. He thought that maybe if he didn't think about it and didn't come face to face with the cold hardened fact, he could at least pretend it wasn't real. Fantasy was better than reality. He knew the truth, yes; he held onto that truth with each puff of his cigarette. However, he also held onto the memory of what happened with each inhale and exhale, making the scar unable to close.

"Yeah, right!" she shouted. She stomped her foot and drew her hand down swiftly into a fist. She quickly swung her hand back up and pointed a finger down at him. "You've been duller that usual lately!"

He was annoyed now, but dealing with the truth was too…too troublesome. "Nothing's wrong!" He repeated, but this time his voice was louder and had more venom in it than the time before. The words reiterated in his mind and the echo caused him to realize, with shock, at just how ringing and fierce his tone was. Usually he never used that loud a voice. It was too much of an effort.

It was Ino's taken back form that made him really taste the poison his lips had spilt. Her face was a mix of shock and pain. Her eyes watered slightly and her cheeks changed to a light shade of pink. He couldn't remember a time he had yelled at her before.

He had the urge to say sorry, but then he second thought himself. No matter how much he wanted to apologize he did realize that this could be his ticket of being rid of the troublesome girl. He could feel the guilt bubbling in his stomach due to hurting her and thoughts of pushing her away even more. He couldn't look in her eyes, but if she left, he'd be somewhat happy. He wanted to be alone to sink into misery.

However, troubling, Ino was much too stubborn to even think of leaving.

She somehow managed to smile. Where she pulled it out of he had no clue. She seemed to be straining to keep her lips pulled back. He could hear her voice waver in her next words. It held the sting of his words; she was still hurt. "How about we do this?" she suggested. "Let's go get some ice-cream."

Oh, God, he knew by the tone in her voice that she was determined to cheer him up. That thought pulsed through his mind and he couldn't help but dread it. He didn't want to be cheered up. He didn't _need_ to be cheered up. He was fine, wasn't he?

"Do you really need the extra calories?" he remarked in a dry voice. He didn't mean it jokingly and didn't dare make it sound friendly. He returned to refusing to look at her.

She rolled her eyes. Dammit! He wanted her to get angry and leave. And then she tried again. Her smile seemed a little faker this time. "It makes you feel better," she said through gritted teeth. He noticed that she was in fact a little bit angry. Her voice had deepened to a low growl.

He let out a huff and closed his eyes. Maybe she'd be gone when he opened them. He tried this out. But, of course, he wasn't that lucky. When his eyelids fluttered open she was still looming over him.

Augh! She was so annoying! She was _always_ annoying. She was far too stubborn for his liking. Why couldn't she just give up, already?

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't feel bad!" His voice was showing his annoyance. He was feeling bitter and his tone showed it. "Ice-cream…ha….you're beginning to sound like Chouji."

Her face was fuming with anger. Never compare her to Chouji. Actually never compare her to anything associated with corpulent people in general. The insult was the worst you could give her. She was barely holding in her feelings. She was breathing sharply, making roaring noises as she did.

"Everyone knows it's one of the 'make-you-feel-good' foods!" she huffed.

"Give me a break, Ino. I'm not suffering from a break up."

She seemed to cool off as if a bucket of water was dumped over her and then she stood silent. She hung her head low, but her gaze wasn't directed at him. She then whispered, "But your heart is breaking." There was sorrow in her voice.

His eyes narrowed as his ears picked up on the words. Those words stung him like a knife piercing into his flesh. He didn't like them one bit.

She continued speaking. Determination rung in her voice even though she appeared uncomfortable. There was undeniably a hint of sadness in her voice, but not because he had hurt her feelings but rather because she felt sympathy for him. "I know you're hurting because…because Asuma's dead." She paused. It was hard for her to say the truth too, but she accepted the painful reality. "But you know what? So am I!" She flung her hand to her chest to indicate herself and her words were pounding through his ears. "And so is Chouji!"

Her words echoed over and over in his mind. He didn't like what she was saying. He downright hated it. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't _need_ to hear it.

"Go away!" he muttered through gritted teeth. His tone was stained with bitter feelings and the strain of keeping those bitter feelings in. His voice might have been low, but there was no denying the growing animosity in it.

"No, I won't!" she shouted almost immediately back. Her voice was rising in volume. This was what he was dreading. She was going to shove the truth in his face. "I won't! Because you need to hear it! Everyone says you're a genius, and maybe you are in strategy and puzzles, but you know what? You're an _idiot_ when it comes to the heart!"

He rolled over on his side and attempted to drown her roaring voice out by dwelling on other thoughts. He knew the little amount of good his attempt that would be. She was so loud. He couldn't possible keep her troublesome words out of his mind. It was so annoying. He knew that there was no way that she would quit now.

"Hey! You've better be listening to me!" she suddenly shouted and he felt the ground quake as she stomped on it. Oh, man, did she get scary when she was mad. He had seen this reaction many times, but usually he tried to avoid it and usually, thankfully, it wasn't aimed at him. It was too troublesome to deal with her when she was angry and he definitely didn't want to deal with her now.

"You don't even realize how much you're suffering…" she added softer. She paused before adding just as quietly, "but you shouldn't have to do it by yourself." She hung her head again and looked at the ground. She brought her hands together and rubbed her knuckles nervously.

"We're ninja. We have to deal with this stuff all the time. Death is always a threat. We both chose that fate. Maybe it wasn't scary when we were little, but now it is. We're mature enough to realize the danger. Still that doesn't mean any ninja has to go it alone."

He heard her light footsteps as she walked around him over to the side that was previously turned away from her. She bent down and arched her back so that she was in a crouching position with her knees together. She stayed there and tilted her head so that she could look straight into his eyes. He looked away upon seeing her.

He was fuming inside. He didn't want to look at her. Her eyes only reminded him of the blue sky with the clouds floating in it. The white sparkles in her eyes were those clouds, stirring slightly, wobbling back and forth. Her eyes reminded him of those days when he had peace of mind. Now days he couldn't be rid of misery. He couldn't be rid of Asuma's death. Everywhere he remembered. And in those moments he hated her for reminding him of what was lost.

He really didn't want to be bothered with anger.

She smiled at him. It was a smile that lighten the sky, but his sky was still stormed with rain clouds and he didn't feel like clearing it up anytime soon. "Come on. We're grab Chouji and pig out on ice-cream." She paused and looked thoughtful, slightly comically. "Well, probably Chouji will pig out, but you know what I mean." She returned to her cheerful front.

He didn't answer.

She sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. She had known that fact all along, but she had hoped that it wouldn't be quite this hard. However, she wasn't going to give up. She couldn't stand him acting like this. She knew very well that he wanted her to get angry enough to leave, but she wasn't going to give in to his wants, even if she was in fact angry enough to do so. Usually she would have walked away without a second thought, but not this time. This time was different. She was determined to cheer him up even if it killed her!

She looked around. Her eyes scanned over the nearby house and down the wooden planks and out into the trees and town. A board game a little ways to her left lying on the wooden patio caught her eye. She noticed that the little black and white chess pieces were arranged in a mid-game fashion. She wondered, _Was he playing himself?_ She knew very well that it was Asuma that would play strategy games with Shikamaru. If he was gone there couldn't be possibly anyone else to play him, could there?

An idea sparked in her mind. She sat down on her bottom and allowed her legs to draw together around the right side of her body. "I'll play you," she muttered and then louder, so that he heard, she repeated, "I'll play you." There was a slyness in her tone and a smile of the same cunning was pulling at her lips.

He turned to look up at her, mildly interested, but only mildly. She starred down at him. Her eyes were bright and he noticed her full ruby lips' position. Her tilted head caused her golden hair to fall gently off her shoulder and hang over her right eye and cover her chest. Her face showed confidence, but it also displayed her beauty. Her long lashes sprawled out and delicately shadowed her cerulean eyes. Her cheeks were a healthy pink and her face was slender. There she went again, looking completely captivating to him.

"Play me?" he asked. His puzzlement was displayed on his face with one cocked eyebrow.

"Yeah," she answered. "I'll play you at chess." His mouth opened slightly and he looked even more confused. Or perhaps that was disbelief. "If you win," she continued, confidence radiating off her, "you have to go with me and actually have fun. You'll have to eat ice-cream if I have to shove it down your face." She brought up her index finger and looked proud of her plan. Her voice was a little matter-of-fact. "If you win I'll leave you alone, since you seem to want me to so bad." She lifted both hands into the air and shrugged slightly.

"Or I could ignore you until you leave." He gave her a hard look. "That's a waste of time, Ino."

"No, you're wasting time sulking!" She stressed the "no." She smiled wryly. "I'm not going anywhere. You're only wasting more time arguing." She arched an eyebrow. "Come on, can't you beat me quick? Or have you lose your charm?"

She just wouldn't give up! It was annoying to play into her hands, but it was even more troublesome to deal with her nagging. He sighed. It looked like despite a strong desire not to, he would have to go along with her. It was the only way to get rid of her, after all. Though somehow he doubted that even if she lost she would give up. He knew very well she'd still stick around to attempt to cheer him up even though he didn't need it! She wouldn't keep her promise.

"Fine," he huffed. "You're so troublesome," he added as he slowly heaved himself up and strolled over to the chess board. He heard the soft plodding of her sandals behind him and the eerie creaking of wood the bark floor made under their feet. He set back down slowly with his legs in an Indian fashion. He rearranged the pieces so that they were prepared for the start of a new match. She walked past him. There was a slight swing in her step that twisted her hips and allowed her ponytail to bounce from side to side. She had the air of success with her. She was so proud that she was getting him to play with her after all the trouble. She sat down across from him with the board in front of her and flung her legs together to her side. He noticed she seemed to also look happy.

"White goes first," he commented. He began picking up different types of pieces and moving them in the ways they could move and briefly and not very effectively explaining them. "Pawns can move one space in any direction, horses move in an 'L', bishops-"

He was interrupted by Ino. "I know how to play." Her voice was evident of annoyance.

"Good." He smirked. "Then you can be white."

She gave him a hard look. "You think I need a handicap or something?"

"Well, if you don't want it, then I'll…" He paused deliberately.

"No!" she blurted out quickly. A little bit of worry slipped out. "I'll take it." He smiled, slightly amused.

She picked up one of her pawns and moved the little figure one space forward. She looked up at him expectantly and he quickly made his move.

The game went on for several minutes. Ino's moves were always unsure and hesitant. Sometimes she would stare hard at the board for what seemed like hours. Her eyes were burning holes in the board. Shikamaru was always quick and confident in his turns. He had every move played out in his mind all ready. It took her so long to make a move that he could decide what to do if she moved any certain piece. It probably didn't help that she would often times grasp onto the piece she was going to move for several seconds before actually moving it. Needless to say, Shikamaru was winning. More than half of Ino's pieces were gone and he had her defeat in mind, while only a couple of his pawns and other pieces were missing. Also needless to say, he was bored. He had his elbow on his thigh to support his hand holding up his face.

"Come on, Ino," he said in a monotone voice. He looked at her with hard eyes. "This is boring."

"You're always bored," she replied curtly. She stared at the board hard. She knew she was no match for him, but she didn't want to give up. If she did that he'd just let himself slip back into his more than usual lifeless stage. He was too lazy to pick himself out of it, so she needed to kick him from it! "Aha! There goes your pawn!" she exclaimed triumphantly and she then collected the piece.

"And there goes your last bishop," he said dully as he pushed his black rook up the board and collided it with the white bishop. Her eye twitched slightly as he removed the piece.

"We both know this a waste of time." His voice seemed very convincing considering how close she was to losing. She stared at the board. Only her king and a few useless pawns were left. Her queen had been taken long ago. "Just give up."

She was silent a moment then whispered, "No." She shook her head slowly. She looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes. He was taken back. Why was she crying? "I don't like seeing you depressed. I want to see you happy, well, at least at Shikamaru happy." She knew him well enough to know that the two's expression of happiness had a big gap in their degrees. Her voice was riddled with sadness and it was low. "It hurts me that Asuma's gone, too, you know." She hesitated on the man's name and the word lingered in the air with a cold chill. "But I…it hurts more seeing you suffering." He watched as she squeezed her eyes shut and a few drops leaked down her cheek. Soon the tears were pouring out. She sniffled and her voice shook. "I can't stand it!" She began weeping harder at that. She inhaled deeply and exhaled sharply. She looked down and her shoulder went up and down in sync with each sob. She clutched her hands into fists in her lap until her nails were cutting her skin.

Shikamaru couldn't believe it. She was crying! The guilt he had felt earlier instantly reemerged with more force. It bubbled in his stomach and only grew bigger with each tear that escaped from her eyes. The guilt somersaulted and looped-di-looped. He felt sick. He couldn't bare to see her cry. However troublesome it was he needed to stop those tears, because it bothered him much more to just watch her cry.

Before he even knew what he was doing he had crawled over to her. She didn't notice him. She was much too busy staring at her hands as the water leaked from her eyes. What was he going to do? There wasn't a strategy to things like this. They just happened. They were impulse; spontaneous; spur of the moment; whatever you wanted to call them. He didn't know in his mind, but something in his heart knew. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waste and pulled her slender body close to him. His grip was firm. He could feel her heat and heard her breath catch. Afterwards a warth of air pressed into him as she let out a nervous exhale. Something inside him didn't want to let go even if her tears stopped.

Almost instantly, as the shock rushed over her, she stopped crying. She sniffed loudly and her body became rigid. Her heart beat was rising. She could hear it pounding in her chest. She stopped breathing for a few seconds.

"Don't cry," he whispered in her ear. His voice was soft and kind. He didn't care how typical that sounded. He didn't want her to be crying, so why not speak the truth?

She lifted her head up slowly to look at him and he loosened his grip when he felt her move to allow it. Then they were staring at each other. It was slightly awkward. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and there were tear stains running down them. Her lips quavered slightly, but were still red and full. His face didn't display boredom or annoyance. There was some type of affection lying in the shadows. And he, himself, was shocked by it. Before he had thought she had looked enchanting and at that moment he still believed she looked beautiful.

A blush was rising on both their cheeks, but neither pulled away. Neither _wanted_ to pull away. Ino pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. She breathed slowly and he felt every gust of air that escaped her lips. She then opened her eyes slowly. Both were looking into each other's eyes. There was a weird sensation flooding through them both. It was a feeling of yearning and uneasiness. It was something they wanted in those moments, but were hesitant to take. Those feeling overtook them both and cautiously they came closer. A pause came, but he took the moment to grasp her lips in his own. He pressed his lips against hers a second time and she kissed him back.

He lowered her to the ground and they heard a crash behind them as their bodies crashed into the chess game. The pieces scattered and skidded across the floor, creating scratching sounds and the board could be heard being pushed out of the way as well. He held onto her and her arms wandered around and wrapped around his back. His hands rummaged through her hair and he could feel her hands sliding over his back. He felt warmer and could feel her soft flesh under him. He kissed her cheek gently and then kissed the tears off her eyes.

She giggled. He stopped and rested his head against hers. He closed his eyes and she followed suit. He smiled and so did she.

"Now we don't know who would have won," she commented with a laugh. She ran her fingers through his ponytail.

"It's too troublesome to argue with you," he breathed. "You can say you won."

"Oh, really?" her voice was sly. "What about your repetition?"

He replied with another kiss.

She giggled again. "Well, then. If I won then you have to go have ice-cream with me."

He exhaled. "Okay, let it be only us." He opened his eyes to stare directly into her crystal blue ones. A sly smile spread across his lips.

In a matter of moments he rose to his feet and lowered a hand down to her. She gladly excepted it and he pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing up, she grabbed his right arm and snuggled in, burying her left cheek deep in the folds of his shirt. She leaned against him for a second and then ran her fingers down to his hand and clasped it gently. She guided him down the wooden steps and out into the town. She stepped at a quicker pace them him, but didn't let go. He let her lead and just relaxed as he walked. He followed her slowly and couldn't help but smile. Surely tomorrow the storm clouds will have vanished from the sky and there will only be puffy white clouds set against a ocean of blue.

The End

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This is for the "The One I Love" contest on the ShikaIno Live Journal community.

This idea kind of just came out of the blue. I wanted to enter in the contest and I later thought of this idea, and I made it relate to the theme: "A good friend can tell you what is the matter with you in a minute. He may not seem such a good friend after telling." - Arthur Brisbane, "The Book of Today," in that Ino knows he's troubled, but he gets mad at her.

I didn't write too big about the chess match, I know. I'm not good at chess, and I'm not even going to pretend I know how to play well. I know nothing about Go (except what I've seen on Hikari no Go and I still have no clue about what's going on) or shogi so I couldn't write about those games. I wonder if they do have ice-cream in Naruto. They have surveillance cameras…

This is one first happy fic in a while! WOW!

I hope you guys have enjoyed my story! Please review.


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